On the other hand, look at Hsu Hui.
Chen Qian is about to marry his new wife in a spacious new house, with a proper wedding ceremony involving "three teas and six rites," which is the proper way for a principal wife. Xu Hui, on the other hand, is being raised in this old three-courtyard house, which is practically an unconventional affair, and she is being kept as a mistress.
Even when a respectable concubine entered the household, she would be carried in a bridal sedan chair, and relatives and friends would be invited to set up two or three tables of banquet to celebrate.
This quietness can only mean one thing: Chen Qian doesn't even want to give her a formal title.
Xu Hui slumped into a mahogany armchair, lost in thought.
"Hui Niang, what exactly happened between you and Chen Qian?" Seeing her so distraught, Zheng Xing felt a pang of sadness. "How did he agree to that promise?"
Xu Hui didn't say anything, she just stared blankly ahead.
After a long silence, she murmured, "He said he needed me, he couldn't live without me... he wanted me to stay by his side..." She suddenly gripped the bracelet on her wrist, as if trying to find evidence of Chen Qian's promise. "He even gave me the bracelet his mother had given him—"
Xu Hui made no pretense in front of Zheng Xing. But halfway through her sentence, she realized something was amiss.
At that time, she was completely deceived by Chen Qian's feigned affection.
The preceding words were riddled with holes; Chen Qian used sweet talk but didn't utter a single promise. She couldn't even find fault with the fact that Chen Qian had lied to her! That one sentence, "Do you understand my heart for you?" had made her fall head over heels, not only agreeing to stay by Chen Qian's side in her previous life but also losing her innocence.
Throughout the entire process, Chen Qian never once made a promise to marry her as his legal wife.
After the heart-wrenching pain came an overwhelming surge of hatred. She hated Chen Qian, hated him to the point of bleeding. She hated Chen Qian's deception, hated Chen Qian's contempt.
In the end, this life is not as good as the last one?
At least in her previous life, she was Chen Qian's concubine! Born into a scholarly and official family, she was far superior to An Ran, a girl from a poor background, and her mother-in-law, Madam Ding, treated her kindly. Now, Chen Qian had married a concubine's daughter from a marquis's family; the Chen family was truly marrying above their station, and she had absolutely no status in the Chen household!
No wonder Chen Qian hid her here; it turns out he was afraid that his wife's family would find out that he dared to take a concubine before marriage—the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion was not something the Chen family could afford to offend, not to mention that the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion had produced a crown prince's wife and a marquis's wife.
Upon realizing this, Xu Hui felt a sharp pain in her heart.
Was she relegated to being a concubine without any official status?
Moreover, she was expected to submit to An Ran's half-sister, to be her slave and servant, and to obey her every command?
Xu Hui's fingernails dug tightly into her palm, leaving deep marks.
She was unwilling to accept it; how could she possibly accept it!
"Hui Niang, Hui Niang?" Seeing Xu Hui's pitiful state, even though Zheng Xing knew she had brought this upon herself, he still felt very sorry for her.
Xu Hui finally came to her senses and managed a weak smile at Zheng Xing.
"Brother Zheng, thank you so much." Xu Hui stood up with her legs supported and bowed deeply to Zheng Xing, saying, "If it weren't for you, I would still be in the dark."
Zheng Xing waved his hand, he was just reminding Xu Hui out of old friendship.
“Hui Niang, from now on—” Zheng Xing looked at Xu Hui, wanting to say something, but remained silent. “You should take care of yourself.”
After saying that, Zheng Xing lifted the curtain and strode away.
Xu Hui stared blankly at his departing figure, a mix of emotions welling up inside her.
Perhaps Mother is right, Zheng Xing might be a good choice.
******
Sitting idly by and waiting for death is not in Xu Hui's nature. If she were to truly accept her fate, she would have wasted her rebirth.
In his previous life, Chen Qian clearly liked her, so why did he suddenly change his mind?
Especially since he was going to marry An Ran's half-sister, Xu Hui suddenly had an absurd thought: Could it be that Chen Qian was only going to marry An Liu Niang because of An Ran?
Could it be that An Liu Niang and An Ran look very alike?
Many thoughts raced through Xu Hui's mind, but none of them could be confirmed. She couldn't wait any longer; perhaps she could think of another way.
The servants around her were all newly purchased, which had one advantage: Xu Hui had managed to build up her own trusted confidants over the past few days. Qiu Ju and Qiu Mei were quite loyal to her. Xu Hui held their indentures in her hands, so she figured they wouldn't dare to betray her.
"Qiuju, go outside and keep watch, don't let anyone get close." Xu Hui hadn't paid attention before, but now she realized that the servants' indentures hadn't been handed to her. Only now did Xu Hui realize the danger; this was probably part of Chen Qian's plan! "Qiumei, come in, I have something to tell you."
Qiuju responded and went to stand under the eaves. Qiumei followed Xu Hui into the inner room.
"Qiu Mei, take these silver notes." Xu Hui took out a few small-denomination silver notes and handed them to Qiu Mei, saying, "There are two things you should ask around about."
Before Xu Hui could even give Qiu Mei any instructions, Qiu Ju's deliberately raised voice came from outside. "Grandpa, you're back!"
It turns out Chen Qian is back?
Xu Hui's heart tightened, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
She immediately encouraged herself. Chen Qian was the one who had done wrong and lied to her, so why should she be guilty and afraid? She had to stay calm and not let Chen Qian see through her act. She couldn't lose her composure.
Even before going out to greet him, she looked in the mirror to make sure she didn't show any inappropriate expression. She gave Qiu Mei a wink, and after Chen Qian came in, she told Qiu Mei to quietly go out first.
"Grandpa, you're back." Xu Hui went out to greet him and gave Chen Qian a graceful bow.
Chen Qian glanced at Xu Hui with a complicated expression as she curtsied, then his expression returned to normal. "I've been busy these days and have neglected Hui-niang. Has Hui-niang ever resented me?"
"Look at what you're saying, sir." Xu Hui covered her mouth and laughed. "I know you're busy with important and serious matters. Do you really think I'm such an unreasonable person?"
There was nothing wrong with her behavior or speech; she was just like usual.
Chen Qian already knew that Zheng Xing was a subordinate of the Marquis of Pingyuan, and perhaps he also knew about Zheng Xing's intention to marry An Liu Niang. After all, Chen Qian was also among those who saw Zheng Xing in front of the Marquis of Nan'an's residence. And he had received news that Zheng Xing had actually come here and met with Xu Hui.
He didn't believe Zheng Xing hadn't told Xu Hui about that.